Cargo load is complete and the hatch is closed! Now the #OA7 #Cygnus is being raised to a vertical position in preparation for integration with the service module, taking place at @nasakennedy today and tomorrow.

Social media users are invited to apply for credentials to attend Orbital ATK’s seventh cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, currently targeted for no earlier than Sunday, March 19. The uncrewed Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:56 p.m. EST.If your passion is to communicate and engage the world via social media, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to be on the front line to blog, tweet or Instagram everything about Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply mission to the space station. The rocket will deliver several tons of supplies, including new science experiments and technology research.

A maximum of 50 active social media users will be selected to attend the three-day event March 17-19 and will be given the same access as news media in an effort to align the experience of social media representatives with those of traditional media.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

View the launch of ULA’s Atlas V rocketTour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space CenterSpeak with representatives from NASAVisit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexView and take photographs of the Atlas V rocket at ULA’s Space Launch Complex 41Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social mediaMeet members of NASA’s social media teamNASA Social registration for the Orbital ATK CRS-7 launch opens on Feb. 17, and the deadline to apply is Feb. 21 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Preparations at Cape Canaveral’s Vertical Integration Facility began yesterday when the first stage was erected aboard the mobile launch platform. The pre-stacked interstage, Centaur and boattail assembly was hoisted into place this morning to complete the basic buildup of the Atlas 5.

The rocket will be powered on and fully tested in the next two weeks to verify all systems are functioning properly. The encapsulated Cygnus will be delivered to the assembly building and attached in early March.<snip>The Cygnus was loaded with its initial complement of cargo over the last 10 days at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility. The cylindrical module’s hatch was then closed before the vessel was turned vertically and mated to its propulsion tug on Valentine’s Day.

Next, the craft will be fueled at the nearby Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and the hatchway reopened to allow the insertion of late-load cargo.

Media are invited to view and photograph an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft filled with cargo bound for the International Space Station on Thursday, March 9, at NASA’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Media will also be able to interview Orbital ATK, United Launch Alliance and NASA project and launch program officials. Spokespersons will be:

News media should be at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site at 8:30 a.m. EST for departure to the payload facility. Arrival back at the press site will be by 11:30 a.m. Accreditation requests for this event should be submitted online at:

This event is open to U.S. Citizens and green card holders only. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation is Sunday, March 5. Media must present two forms of unexpired legal, government identification to receive a badge for access to Kennedy Space Center. One form must include a photo, such as a driver’s license or passport. Badges will be available for pick up at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office located on State Road 405 east of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Badges will be issued the day of the event, March 9, beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Questions about accreditation should be directed to Jennifer Horner at [email protected] or by calling 321-867-6598.

The seventh commercial resupply services mission for Orbital ATK, CRS-7, is targeted for liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida March 19 at 10:56 p.m. EDT, which is at the opening of a 30-minute launch window.

Orbital ATK uses the Cygnus to perform space station resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Services contract. Cygnus consists of a pressurized cargo module for crew supplies, scientific experiments and equipment, together with an associated service module providing solar power and propulsion. This mission will be the fourth flight of the extended variant of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus pressurized cargo module, which increases the spacecraft’s interior volume capacity by 25 percent, enabling more cargo to be delivered with each mission. The CRS-7 freighter will be delivering more than 7,500 pounds of cargo and science experiments to the station, including an advanced plant habitat system and other experiments to be conducted in the U.S. National Lab ranging from targeted cancer cell therapies to growing crystals. Cygnus will also carry dozens of small satellites including 28 from universities around the world in coordination with NanoRacks and the Von Karman Institute’s QB50 CubeSats program.

Full clean-room attire must be worn and will be furnished. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required. No shorts, skirts or high heels will be permitted. To be consistent with clean-room protocol, journalists are asked not to wear perfume, cologne or makeup.

Prior to entering the facility high bay, photographers will need to clean camera equipment under the supervision of contamination-control specialists. Alcohol wipes will be provided.

All camera equipment must be self-contained; no portable lights can be permitted. Flash photography will be allowed; however, the facility has adequate high pressure sodium lighting (orange cast) for pictures. Wireless microphones and cellular devices are permitted inside the high bay for this activity.

Nonessential equipment, such suede, leather or vinyl camera bags or other carrying cases, must be left outside the cleanroom. No pencils, food, tobacco, chewing gum, lighters, matches or pocket knives will be allowed.

For other questions or additional information, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468

And some more from the preparation and move for fueling and loading from KSC's flickr. They uploaded a bunch so here's just a few, including some good seldom-seem shots of the SM portion of the Cygnus.The rest are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasakennedy/

Orbital ATK is honored to name the OA-7 Cygnus cargo delivery spacecraft after former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn. Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, was a lifelong pioneer of human spaceflight. Glenn paved the way for America’s space program, from moon missions, to the space shuttle and the International Space Station. His commitment to America's human space flight program and his distinguished military and political career make him an ideal honoree for the OA-7 Mission. Glenn passed away on December 8, 2016 and is survived by his wife of 73 years, Annie, and their children, John and Carolyn.

ULA: (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., March 10, 2017) - The launch of the ULA Atlas V rocket carrying the OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft for Orbital ATK and NASA is scheduled for no earlier than March 21, due to a booster hydraulic issue discovered during prelaunch testing. The additional time will allow the team to replace a component and continue with launch preparations. The Atlas V and Cygnus spacecraft remain secure in their processing facilities.